“I need a drink,” Charlton said, leaving the courthouse as the wind swept through his hair. “What a shitshow — care to join me?”
“No, and stay out of trouble,” his solicitor responded.
“What, are you beginning to doubt me? One of the tenets of lawyering is that you must believe your client.”
“Whatever Charlton, just don’t get into any trouble!”
Charlton grimaced every time the plaintiffs’ lawyers referred to him as “Good-Time Charlie” while assassinating his good character. He’d been cleared criminally, so what if it was on a technicality, he’d done nothing wrong. All this acrimony towards him was nothing more than regret, a way to rationalize a sordid past and leave it behind.
“WTF happened to Bill!”
“No idea, I told the lazy bastard if he stood still too long he was going to grow roots. I didn’t think he’d literally become part of the landscape though.”
“What?”
“You know, they say the faeries run through these gardens. They can be mischievous folk, maybe Bill rubbed one of them the wrong way and poof!”
“Stop it, this isn’t funny. He wouldn’t run off without his boots. Where did he go?”
“Sorry, I don’t know what else to tell you. I ran up to the house and he was gone when I got back. I have no clue why he left his boots or where he’s gone.”
Ok, so I wasn’t exactly being truthful. You see Bill was a douché and when my best friend headed into town to pick up some more gardening supplies the pig made a pass at me. I let him think there was a chance, flirted with him some and talked him into undressing. The moment he turned his back to set his boots on the stump… well let’s just say I finally found a use for that old pitchfork. He ain’t with the faery folk and I am certain he won’t be coming back. She is better off without him anyway. As for his boots, they are more useful as planters than they ever were on his feet.
Family gathered in a circle,
arms crossed and hands clasped together.
Frantically we assemble as the anticipation builds…
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 –
“Happy New Year!”
…and then the room breaks into song,
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind…”
Scottish Traditional (Robert Burns) Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? Chorus For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne, we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp! and surely I'll be mine! And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Chorus We twa hae run about the braes, and pu'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary foot, sin auld lang syne. Chorus We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn, frae morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar'd sin auld lang syne. Chorus And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! and gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught, for auld lang syne. Chorus
Modern Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne? Chorus For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you'll buy your pint cup! and surely I'll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. Chorus We two have run about the hills, and picked the daisies fine; But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. Chorus We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. Chorus And there's a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. Chorus
Every week Fandango over at This, That and the Other posts a provocative question. This week’s is a doozy…
“In your interpersonal relationships with acquaintances, friends, and family, are you able to separate political ideologies from the people who hold them? Why or why not?“
Cue my rambling answer below…
I’ve always been able to separate issues from those on the other side. That is probably why I am so good when it comes to disciplinary matters at work. None of it is ever personal. Just deal with the facts and move on. If the other party has hard feelings, there is nothing I can do about that. I just go about my business and do my best to treat them the same afterwards regardless of what may have transpired. There are plenty of people who get themselves emotionally invested and it eats them up inside. They generally burn themselves out or get run out of town at the end of a pitchfork. Either way, they do not fare well long term.
I admit I approach debating, political or otherwise, through a similar lens. Everyone has an opinion and I encourage them to bring it to the table. The best policy is to treat people with respect even when their ideological compass is pointing in a different direction than our own. Sometimes those views, extreme or absurd as they may seem, can shift perspective for everyone involved and lead others to think outside the box and find common ground leading to more moderate solutions. Even if it amounts to nothing at least I know who the imbeciles are.
There is one group that I do tend to distance myself from and they rarely make it to my inner circle. The exception is family – unfortunately, you are stuck with ’em! If they start I normally throw a couple of jabs in and walk away. So back to that group, I’m referring to those who refused to acknowledge facts when forming opinions. The brazen efforts they will go to refute proven science or obscure the facts to mould opinions that support their ideological fantasies suggest they aren’t likely to see reason. At some point, it doesn’t make sense to continue banging your head against the wall. I was saving the following graphic for a future T-Shirt Wisdom Tuesday but it seems appropriate right here and now.
For example, rabid anti-vaxxers and political anarchists who insist on comparing democratically elected political leaders to Hitler or Stalin. I’m the first to admit that I am not a fan of the current prime minister here in Canada but not every decision of his government has some hidden agenda or has been bad for the country. The government is not trying to overthrow democracy and appoint him the Supreme Ruler of the Northern Realms. Truly, I can only think of one instance where that may have been the case on this continent. Does January 6th ring a bell? The funny thing is the idiots who believe the previous scenario are the same clowns driving around with Trump stickers pasted on their back windows and bumpers.
Okay, so maybe I’m less tolerant of idiocy than I thought. lol
Eloise missed him. He had always been there for his little Angel. He dried her eyes when she had skinned her knee or bumped her head. He’d soothed her broken heart when she caught a glimpse of her best friend Jeannie and her first boyfriend kissing by the lockers in tenth grade. He buoyed her confidence when Harvard rejected her application, telling everyone she was too good for them anyway. He reminded her that plenty of other schools would be knocking down the doors to have her attend. He was right, she was more an MIT girl anyway.
She could believe it had been five years since he’d passed on. He’d been riddled with cancer, and she couldn’t bear to be there for him like he’d done for her so many times. It hurt too much to see him suffering and she feared living in a world without him.
The last six months had been the shittiest she could recall. The Chinese firm that had bought out her employer immediately fired the senior management team and 500 others. Employment Insurance didn’t cover the rent and it was overdue. It was only a matter of time before the landlord came to collect/evict.
Worst of all there was a heaviness in her heart. She couldn’t shake it off. It consumed the very blood pumping through her veins, turning it into a gloomy gray sludge. It weighed her legs down and zapped any reserved energy she may have had, leaving her helplessly paralyzed.
She thought she heard his voice in the hallway outside her apartment, so she immediately ran to the door. Several of the neighbour’s kids stopped playing hall-ball and looked at her. She stared through them to the window at the far end hoping to glimpse him. Of course, he wasn’t waiting there. She was about to turn and go back inside when a little boy tugged at her hand.
“Miss, are you sad?” he asked.
Overwhelmed, the tears began to roll down her cheeks as she nodded at him.
“Would you like a hug?”
Her eyes scan the corridor finally fixing on those of the little boy’s Mom. She smiles back in approval so Eloise kneels down to face the child at his level.
“I’d love a hug,” she replies through her tears and forced smile.
In an instant, this tiny yet surprisingly strong creature wraps his little arms around her and whispers in her ear, “Don’t worry Angel, everything is going to be alright.” After a short pause he continues, “That’s what my Daddy says when I’m sad.”
“Mine too,” she said, holding him for a moment longer but wishing it could be forever.
Welcome to T-Shirt Wisdom Tuesday. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Every other Tuesday I will post a quote that I’ve seen printed on a T-Shirt or think should have been.
Well, 2023 is upon us, may it be a wonderful year for everyone!
Check back weekly and see what witty, funny, or plain old ridiculous T-Shirts wisdom I’ve been able to find or come up with. Suggestions are always welcome.
Di at Pensitivity101 hosts Share You World, a blog where questions get asked and you, as the title suggests ‘share your world‘ if so inclined. I have lurked for a while (sorry that sounds creepy) and have decided to jump into the fray to start 2023. So without further adieu…
Yes, my parents have held New Year’s parties for as long as I can remember. They are now in their eighties so my sister took up the mantle this year, much like they took it over from my grandparents a generation earlier. So as the evening began to set in we all headed over to her place to celebrate the coming of 2023.
The parties have changed from years ago. They have become much more relaxed although the grandchildren (almost all of drinking age now) did manage to make a wild party of it downstairs.
There is always lots of food including a feast just after midnight. This year I brought a huge casserole filled with a spicy Hakka style Chilli Chicken and an amazing Blooming Quesadilla appetizer platter.
I do believe I’ve mentioned this in an earlier post but one thing I’ve come to miss is my now-deceased Uncle Edward pulling out his bagpipes just before midnight to pipe the old year out the back door only to return minutes after midnight to usher the new year in the front door. Of course, our other big New Year’s tradition of crossing our arms and taking the hand of the person on either side while forming an unbroken circle and singing Auld Lang Syne is still practiced at the stoke of midnight every year.
Nothing outside the normal holiday and birthday get-togethers that I am aware. Maybe I haven’t been included and just don’t know it!
I do not keep a diary however I do find myself using Microsoft OneNote or Google Keep to make random notes of ideas, memories, thoughts or other oddities that come my way more often than I used to. That may have something to do with trying to fill content on my blog page as I’ve become more active in this space.
The day itself did not differ that much other than last year I was working from home and had the day off. This year I am back to working in the office (and it sux) plus I was scheduled to work. On a positive note, I did make double time and three quarters which is always a nice boost to the pay cheque.
There is an excellent podcast called The Happiness Lab hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos. She is a professor at Yale who was tasked with creating a program to help stressed and struggling students succeed at the college level. Needless to say, the program was a huge success and has been modelled at various other colleges worldwide. There is even an online program that anyone can sign up to take for free.
This podcast is not your normal self-help podcast. Instead, it talks about real scientifically proven ways to boost your happiness. Gratitude comes up often in the series including this episode dedicated entirely to the subject and its happiness boosting properties.
Welcome to Five Word Weekly. Each Monday, five words will magically appear on Greg’s Blog at 5:00am Eastern Time (Canada/United States). Your task is to craft prose or poetry using any or all of the word prompts. How you participate is entirely up to you. Your work(s) can be a single piece, a series of stand-alone projects, or an epic serial. Let the words be the inspiration that takes you wherever your imagination leads.
callous | flourish | windswept | divination | lily
Click here for full rules and guidelines
This was an attempt to capture the big colourful sunset sky as I drove Nathaniel to his Karate class. I know phones and driving are a no-no but how could one resist that colour.
Image was captured in December 2022, Northfield Road at Hwy #85, Waterloo, Ontario.
Equipment: Google Pixel 7 Pro, Rear Camera.
Settings: 6.81mm | 1/247 sec. at ƒ/1.9 | ISO486.
Watermark added via Adobe Photoshop.
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